


Always

by so_many_fanworks_so_little_time



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Gen, Irondad, Light Angst, Minor Character Death, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Worried Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-25 02:36:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21348844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/so_many_fanworks_so_little_time/pseuds/so_many_fanworks_so_little_time
Summary: “Hello?” He asked uncertainly.“Hello,” A kind woman replied, “Is this Peter Parker?”“Y-yes,” He stuttered, “Who-who is this?”“My name is Kathleen. I’m sorry but you’re listed as Mrs Parker’s emergency contact. I’m afraid she has just been involved in a hit and run incident. I’m going to need you to come down to the hospital please.”
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 150





	Always

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first ever fanfiction, and it was written whilst I was jet lagged so who knows what it's like!

The sky slowly transitioned from a deep purple to the darkness that the night brought with it. Peter had been sat on the roof of his old apartment building for around 3 hours now, Spider-Man mask long since discarded next to him as he looked out across the city. It was coming up to 9pm, the nights drawing out as summer approached, leaving behind the harsh winter as the sky finally faded to black. Only a few stars scattered the sky this evening, the lights of the city illuminating it causing few to be seen.

It had been just over a year now since his Aunt May had been killed in a hit and run incident on her way back from her night shift one evening. Peter remembers the night vividly. How could he forget?

***

Peter had just got back from a tiring night of patrolling. There were many criminals around this time of year, what with Christmas fast approaching, people seemed to think that it was more worthwhile to steal now of all times. It didn’t make Peter’s patrols any easier that’s for sure. Then again, he loved catching them, webbing them up and leaving them for the police to deal with. It gave him a sense of fulfilment that wasn’t easy to achieve so much now.

He was busier than ever nowadays, what with his school work, because despite how much he wished for the end, he still had another year of high school left, plus the fact that he had to work now.

When Peter had turned sixteen May had finally confided in him, telling him that they were really struggling with paying the rent recently and that she was going to take on extra shifts for the money. Peter hated the thought of his aunt overworking herself for him, so instead suggested that he try to find a job somewhere, only part time, and that all the money he earned he’d put towards helping his aunt out. Of course at first, May was completely opposed to the idea.

“You don’t need to do that honey,” May had said to him when he’d proposed the idea. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to give me the extra hours.”

“But May you don’t need to if I work too! Besides you do so much for me, I feel like I ought to give something back. Please May.”

In the end, after many discussions, May had conceded and said that Peter could get a part time job, but providing that he only contributed half of his wage to the rent and kept the rest for himself. This way May wouldn’t need to keep forking out for new backpacks all the time as Peter would have the money to do so himself.

So now he worked 3 days a week, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, in a small cafe a block from the apartment. The pay wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing, Peter reasoned, and so he continued to work there, picking up extra hours wherever he could.

On top of this, Friday nights, straight from school, all the way through to Saturday afternoons were when he spent time with Mr Stark in his lab. After Peter had declined the offer of becoming an avenger, his suit had been returned to him in a paper bag from Mr Stark, within which also contained a note:

_‘Kid, suit needs a few adjustments. I’ll get Happy to pick you up from school on Friday and we can work through the kinks - TS’_

And so, from that moment onwards Peter had been going over every Friday to the Avengers Tower (because Mr Stark had figured it was more convenient than having the kid travel all the way to the compound). He wasn’t quite sure when he started sleeping over and staying until Saturday afternoon, but he figured it must have been after one of their late night sessions and Peter had fallen asleep at the lab table. He’d awoken in a bed that was definitely not his own, and was promptly informed by Friday that Mr Stark had brought him up to the guest room at around 2am. Now the guest room is Peter’s room, complete with changes of clothes, posters and scribbles of everything from web fluid formulas to mathematics.

Additionally, Peter’s Decathlon meetings ran on a Wednesday after school these days. This meant that the only time Peter had spare, when he wasn’t doing homework or sleeping, was a Monday evening, so he spent as long as he could out patrolling. He’d try to fit in as much as he could throughout the week, but Monday was the only night he got to go at it for hours without the weight of the long day dragging him to bed prematurely.

So that’s how Peter ended up stumbling in to the kitchen at 1am to retrieve the leftovers in the fridge that he’d heat up for his dinner. May had a late shift tonight, so she’d be back soon he thought glancing at the clock. Just as the microwave dinged to signal that Peter’s meal had finished heating, the phone rang.

“Hello?” He asked uncertainly.

“Hello,” A kind woman replied, “Is this Peter Parker?”

“Y-yes,” He stuttered, “Who-who is this?”

“My name is Kathleen. I’m sorry but you’re listed as Mrs Parker’s emergency contact. I’m afraid she has just been involved in a hit and run incident. I’m going to need you to come down to the hospital please.”

Peter froze. He didn’t know what to say. Hit and run? That couldn’t be right. May had left earlier that day like she always did, left him leftovers like usual and a note to not stay out too long. She couldn’t possibly...

“Is... is she okay?” He managed to squeak out.

“We’d prefer it of you came down so that we can talk to you in person.”

“O-okay. Yeah, yeah I’m coming.” And with that he hung up. Pulling on some joggers and a hoodie, not even bothering to remove the Spider-Man suit, he exited the apartment, heading towards the hospital on foot.

The air was crisp, a cloud filled sky presented above him. Peter felt his fingertips begin to numb with the cold, but he pulled his hoodie sleeves down and continued his brisk pace, not caring as it slowly began to rain.

Arriving at the double doors to the hospital, Peter felt his throat restrict and heart plummet to the floor. This was real. Not a dream, he knew he wasn’t about to just wake up in his bed to find that this had just been something his unconscious has conjured up.

Walking in, he went straight to the receptionist’s desk where a large woman sat, glasses perched on her nose, and giving Peter a kind smile as he approached.

“May Parker?” He squeaked, “Please, where is she? I need to see her.” Tears began to prick at the corners of his eyes as the receptionist typed the name in to the computer. At the solemn expression that appeared on the woman’s face the tears he’d been desperately holding back began to roll down Peter’s cheeks.

“I’m sorry sweetie,” The receptionist replied, “But May Parker passed away 5 minutes ago.”

A sob broke out of Peter and he slowly sank to the floor until he brought his knees up, curling his arms around himself. _‘This can’t be happening, it can’t. May can’t be gone, she’s the last person I had, she can’t be gone, she can’t she can’t...’_

A soft hand was placed on his left shoulder, but Peter was too numb to feel it. He heard mumbled voices and faintly registered his phone ring, but he didn’t have the energy to answer it. Who was it going to be anyway? May was dead. There was no one else, no one left. Peter was truly alone now. He sat there, head rested on his knees and tears streaking down his face as he thought about what he was going to do now that his very last family member was gone.

It wasn’t until the doors to the hospital burst open that Peter looked up. There in front of him stood Tony Stark.

“Pete?” Tony was dressed in a casual pair of faded jeans and grey hoodie complete with the usual grease stains. Clearly he’d just come from the lab. “Are you okay? What happened?”

What was Mr Stark doing here?

Peter opened his mouth to reply, but a sob escaped before he could say anything to the man.

“Jeez, Pete speak to me, what happened?” Tony approached the boy and came to sit at his right placing a tentative hand on his shoulder. That was all it took for Peter to completely break down in front of the man he admired.

Pressing his face in to the crook of Mr Stark’s neck he sobbed, “May... she... she’s...” He couldn’t bring himself to finish that sentence. He couldn’t say it out loud. Tony wrapped his arm around the boy, bringing him closer to his body.

Running his hand up and down Peter’s back, Mr Stark lowered his voice, “Shh, it’s alright, it’s okay. You’re alright.” He continued this stream of comfort until Peter’s sobs had ceased to be more than the occasional hiccup. “That’s it, breathe, well done.”

When Peter felt like he could speak again, he whispered “She’s gone Mr Stark. I can’t... I can’t get her back. She... she... they said it was... was a hit and... and run but I...” Peter broke off.

“It’s okay. Shh,” Mr Stark consoled the teenager. “Come on, let me take you back to the tower, it’ll be comfier there and we can talk about this. Okay?”

Peter allowed himself to be dragged up from the floor, Mr Stark uttering some words to the receptionist, before he was escorted to a car that was waiting at the entrance of the hospital.

The ride to the tower was spent in near complete silence, the only noise coming from Peter as he occasionally sniffled. Mr Stark situated himself in the back next to the boy, arm never releasing its hold around his shoulders.

Once at the tower, Mr Stark nodded at Happy in acknowledgment, before shuffling the boy out of the back seat and up to the penthouse. Ordinarily, Peter would be astounded by everything up here, but in that moment all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and never do anything again. Unfortunately, Mr Stark had other ideas, settling him on the sofa before disappearing in to the kitchen.

Emerging with one cup of hot chocolate and one cup of coffee, he placed them both on the glass coffee table before leaning back to look at the kid.

“How did you know where to find me Mr Stark?” Peter started quietly. He knew they were going to have to have some kind of conversation, and Peter wanted to start with something that wasn’t as hard to face as the rest of it was.

“You’re still in the suit kid. Tracker told me you’d headed to the hospital after you’d been on patrol. I couldn’t get through to Karen, and you didn’t answer when I rang,” _Oh, so it had been Mr Stark who rang him then,_ “And I figured I ought to check up on you.”

“Thanks,” Peter admitted with a small smile, tears beginning to form at the back of his eyes again.

“I’ll always be there Pete.” Then Mr stark admitted after a pause, “I hope I didn’t overstep.”

“No, no not at all sir. Thank you. Really. May is... was... the last family member I had...”

There’s a small pause before Mr Stark speaks again, “Well you’ve got me now kid. I promise, not going anywhere. Believe me, many have tried but I’m still here. Can’t get rid of me that easy!” The corners of his mouth twitched upwards, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat.

Tears begin to stream down Peter’s face again as he turned to him, “Thanks Mr Stark.” The corners of his own mouth curved upwards slightly.

***

“Hey Pete, I’ve been looking all over for you!” A metallic voice called from above him, breaking him from his thoughts.

“As if! I know you still have the tracker Tony!” He laughed as the man landed next to him on the rooftop.

Retracting the mask, Tony beamed at him, “Yeah well if I remember correctly, the last time I tracked you down ‘cause you’d gone off grid you went and changed all of the names of Friday’s protocols!”

“You have to admit it was funny!” Peter chuckled standing up.

“No! Rhodey is still giving me shit for the way you hacked in and did that!”

Peter laughs at that, remembering Tony’s face when he’d first heard Friday announce the ‘super duper fast booster’ protocol.

“So what you doing out here at this time of night?”

“Just thinking,” Peter replies easily.

“Yeah? ‘Bout what?”

“How lucky I am that you’re in my life Mr Stark.”

“Nuh huh, you dropped the Mr Stark crap the minute you started living with me _kid_!”

“Okay, okay!” Peter laughed. A soft smile spread across his face as he looked at the man in front of him, the man who came to him when he had no one else to turn to. “I’m serious though Tony, thank you. For being there for me that night.”

Tony stepped towards him and Peter reached out to wrap his arms around the older man’s neck as he was brought in for a hug. “I’ll always be there Pete,” He whispered, kissing the boy’s temple as he pulled him closer, “Always.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and Kudos greatly appreciated


End file.
